Minister claims Tunisia could have 5G from 2022

5G services are now expected to be launched in Tunisia in 2022, according to Telecom Minister Mohamed Fadhel Kraiem, Agence Ecofin reports. The official was quoted as saying the launch of 5G services would only be possible from 2022, as technical specifications for the service would not be finalised until late 2021, following which providers would need to conduct pilots before offering a commercial service. The minister noted that the timeline was based on the results of a study prepared for the National Telecommunications Authority (Instance Nationale des Telecommunications, INT) by an international research firm. According to TeleGeography’s GlobalComms Database, the National Frequencies Agency (Agence Nationale Frequences, ANF) had previously estimated that 5G services would likely be commercialised in 2023, based on its consultation on the allocation of spectrum in the 24.25GHz-27.5GHz, 37GHz-43.5GHz, 45.5GHz-47GHz, 47.2GHz-48.2GHz and 66GHz-71GHz ranges. According to the ANF, mobile providers were most interested in the 26GHz spectrum for 5G services, but it noted that that compatible handsets were not expected to be available in Tunisia until 2023.